Poster Number

058

Submitting Student(s)

Téa FrancoFollow

Session Title

Gender, Ethnicity, and Bias

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Mass Communication

Abstract

America has faced two nationwide drug addictions: the crack crisis and the opioid epidemic. Despite several similarities in the spread of the addictions, the two garnered vastly different reactions from the media, society, and the government. It has become apparent that the reason for these different reactions is the race of those typically afflicted by each addiction. The crack crisis predominantly affected impoverished communities of color, whereas the opioid epidemic has affected more white Americans. Through journalistic methods including FOIA requests, government documents, interviews, and the gathering of primary and secondary sources, I have examined the way that race plays into how America responds to drug addictions. This project includes multimedia components as well, creating a comprehensive, multimedia, data-driven news package.

Honors Thesis Committee

William Schulte, Ph.D.; Nathaniel Frederick II, Ph.D.; and Aimee Meader, Ph.D

Course Assignment

MCOM 441 – Schulte

Start Date

24-4-2020 12:00 AM

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Apr 24th, 12:00 AM

Two Drug Epidemics in a Racist World: Comparing the Crack Crisis with the Opioid Epidemic

America has faced two nationwide drug addictions: the crack crisis and the opioid epidemic. Despite several similarities in the spread of the addictions, the two garnered vastly different reactions from the media, society, and the government. It has become apparent that the reason for these different reactions is the race of those typically afflicted by each addiction. The crack crisis predominantly affected impoverished communities of color, whereas the opioid epidemic has affected more white Americans. Through journalistic methods including FOIA requests, government documents, interviews, and the gathering of primary and secondary sources, I have examined the way that race plays into how America responds to drug addictions. This project includes multimedia components as well, creating a comprehensive, multimedia, data-driven news package.